Pastor Josh's Thoughts

You are invited!

2011-12-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas Season

2011-12-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year for school Christmas programs and I am especially grateful that our children are able to attend Prince of Peace Christian School. They do a great job of focusing the students attention on the real meaning of Christmas...the birth of Jesus. This year I especially enjoyed both programs. Ethan was "Joseph" in the kindergarten program (Side note: I asked him if liked "Mary"...his answer, with a serious look on his face, "Dad, she's a girl" LOL). And Alanna and her best friend had a duet in the main program last night.

Every now and then people ask me how our family practices Christmas...so I thought I would share a few things we try to do:

At least once a day, we remind our children that the real meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus.
My wife (she does a great job with this) prepares a daily Advent calendar that our kids totally love. Each day there is a Scripture reading that explains who Jesus really is. Sometimes there is a little treat or activity planned as well. You can email her for ideas smilealways27@hotmail.com.
We make Christmas a fun time at our house. We play up Santa Clause, reindeer, elves, and of course presents.
We make Christmas a time of both giving and receiving. I think this year we are doing the Christmas Gift for Jesus offering at church and we are donating some gifts to Compassion Network. I think we make a mistake when we don't include our children in these decisions.
We create time for small simple things: seeing Christmas lights, the Bethlehem display at 1st Baptist Santa Clara, Christmas in the park, board games, etc...
We play lots and lots of Christmas music in the house and the car. Nothing like rocking out to "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town" with everyone playing an air guitar. Our personal favorite version is from the Lonestar Christmas CD.
We attend Christmas Eve services which really helps remind our children that Christmas is not about them.
We read the Christmas story (and act it out sometimes) before opening presents on Christmas morning.
We watch Christmas themed movies (you know the syrupy sweet, happily ever after movies) with the kids.
And if things get too crazy...we cancel our plans and go to bed early :)

I hope that gives you some ideas. Merry Christmas!

The True Legacy of Steve Jobs

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past week, the death of Steve Jobs has been all over the media. Rightfully so, he has been heralded as the most creative business leader since Walt Disney. There is no doubt that he was an incredibly creative genius. He refused to be trapped by the moorings of conventional wisdom and he doggedly pursued what he believed to be the best way forward. But in reading about his life, I was deeply disturbed by how shallow and superficial his life was. The media has far overblown his true influence and completely avoided the "dark side" of his life. His true legacy is: 1) Valuing earthly things over eternal things 2) Valuing products over people 3) Valuing personal fulfillment over relational fulfillment 4) Valuing the accumulation of wealth over generosity

In one of his final interviews, he provides this reasoning for authorizing a biography of his life. "I wanted my kids to know me," Mr Isaacson recalled Mr Jobs saying, in a posthumous tribute the biographer wrote for Time magazine. "I wasn't always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did."

I pray that when I die, my wife and kids write my biography because they knew me well. Instead of me having to write a biography so they can get to know me.

Here are a couple of links that tell the real story:

http://goo.gl/R7Vf3 - An article from gawker.com

http://goo.gl/vxrS8 - An article from the Independent

Great Time At CORE Tonight!

2011-10-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Got to hang out with the CORE kids tonight. We have a awesome group of teens at our church and tonight was a lot of fun. God is really doing some cool stuff through our youth ministry team. I constantly hear words of thanks from our parents. Great jobDrew, Cyanna, Brandon, Aja, Jon, and Sarah!

An interesting perspective on "cool" church

2011-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

I came across this video recently and thought that it makes a very valid, interesting point. Especially the last line, "I just don't want the Lord to end up in this box."

What's the Purpose of Parenting?

2011-10-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

JUST KIDDING?

Tomorrow at church I'll give a Biblical answer :)

What If Marriage Was Not Designed To Make Your Happy...

2011-09-07T08:38:00.001-07:00

But instead designed to make you holy. So many people enter marriage and family life thinking that happiness will soon follow. But the statistics don't lie...the majority of new marriages end in divorce and of those marriages that do survive only a small percentage rate their marriage as "happy." What if God's primary purpose for your marriage and family life was not to make you happy? I know in our culture that sounds like blaspheme since everyone "deserves" to be happy. But maybe part of our problem is the perspective we carry into marriage, home, and parenting life.
My wife and I will starting a new series this Sunday that tackles this subject head on. Over our 11+ years of marriage we have not been exempt from struggles, problems, and difficulties that have tested our commitment to each other [most of the time I'm the primary source of testing instead of the one being tested :)]. Over those years we have been on a journey of spiritual growth and have been forced to look at things from a different perspective. A number of books by Gary Thomas (Sacred Marriage, Sacred Parenting, Sacred Influence) have been really beneficial for us on this journey. During this five week series we will be talking about the truths that have changed our way of looking at home and marriage. I hope you will join us.

Another Awesome Baptism Celebration

2011-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was a great way to end the summer! We had our summer ending Baptism and BBQ in the church courtyard. What made this baptism extra special is that Andrew (our youth pastor) was able to baptize two of the teens from the CORE program. I remember it was just about 3 years ago that a few of our church families stepped up their financial giving to allow us to hire Andrew full-time. This was a big stretch for our small church at the time but God has really blessed. These baptisms as well as previous ones were a direct result of time and energy that Andrew and all the volunteers in CORE have invested!

Incredible week of MEGA Sports Camp

2011-08-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

I just got finished with a busy, hectic week of sports camp. I'm tired...but it is a good tired. We had an incredible time each night. We averaged about 55 kids a night. Our coaches taught then basketball, soccer, baseball, and cheerleading. We learned awesome stuff about Jesus, sang and danced, and celebrated together. I've included a video that captures the excitement of the week. To all our volunteers that made this week happen...THANK YOU!

Community Back To School BBQ

2011-08-05T16:17:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is our annual outreach BBQ at Newark Community Park. It's from 11:00am to 2:00pm. If you are local I'll hope you'll come join us. Last night we had about 20 volunteers come to the church and fill 155 backpacks with school supplies! This is our largest total ever. I'm so grateful for those who have given sacrificially and volunteered to make this event a success! Our church family really cares about the community and building God's Kingdom and I am grateful to be the pastor. See you tomorrow!

Why I love what I do

2011-06-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I've been pastoring Morning Star since I was 22 years old (8+ years has gone by very fast). Over these years there have been some great moments and plenty of low moments. When Cecil and I made the decision to start MSC and invest our life in building God's Kingdom, we had a genuine desire to help others encounter God and assist them in the process of being transformed to look like Jesus. I was counting up the number of baptisms over the past 8 years (my memory is not as good as it used to be) and came up with at least 42 names! Jesus Christ commanded His followers to be baptized to symbolize the new life that begins when one surrenders control and makes Jesus the Lord. On June 5th I had the honor of baptizing four adults. It is really exciting to be part of a church community that values life transformation and seriously following Jesus!

The End of the World

2011-05-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Just this morning I turned on the radio to KGO 810 (it's the most listened too talk/news station in the Bay Area and one of the most popular in the world). What was the topic of Ronn Owen's first hour...you guessed it: The End of the World. As many are aware (I've received numerous inquiries and questions from those in my congregation and even those who aren't believers in Jesus but are just curious) Harold Camping founder of Family Radio, which is a world-wide network of radio stations, has predicted this Saturday, May 21st as Judgement Day (http://www.familyradio.com/). Of course this claim is completely bogus and ludicrous. He has made this claim twice before so hopefully the third time will completely discredit him and his ministry. Although if I was a betting man, which I can be from time to time:), I would bet Harold has already come up with a response that will spin why he really wasn't wrong again. If it wasn't for the fact that Family Radio has a net worth of over 75 million dollars this claim would be completely ignored but when you have money you can buy publicity. I want to mention two things that all of this has brought to my mind:
1) This is the slippery slope where those with fundamentalist views of Scripture can find themselves. When everything in the Bible is taken literally and everything in their faith is black and white, you will find all types of dogmatic views on fringe elements of Scripture like when and how Jesus is going to return,which particular translation of Scripture is perfect, and even going as far as to define what styles of music are acceptable. I don't mean to paint all fundamentalists with a broad brush but their approach to Scripture makes them vulnerable to extreme theological positions based on just one or two verses that they take literally (and usually out of context).
2) The Bible is exceptionally unclear on when and how Jesus is going to return. Over the centuries Christians have held numerous views on this issue (pre-trib, post-trib, amill, premill, postmill, historical amill, etc...). My job is not to be on the planning committee but to be on the welcoming committee. If you want more perspective here are two good articles on this subject that probably say it better than I can:

http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6396/9/

http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6296/9/

Track Meet Day

2011-05-17T14:57:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday was a blast! Alanna participated in the Bay Area Lutheran Schools Track Meet. Her school, Prince of Peace, hosts the event and about 13 other schools from around the Bay Area compete in various events. There are about 500 competitors from kindergarten through 8th grade. We were especially proud since Alanna represented her age group for girls in four different events. She came in 2nd in the long jump, 3rd in the 50meter, 4th in both baseball throw and 50meter relay. I've attached some pictures so you can see how determined she looks while she competes.

8th Anniversary Celebration

2011-03-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, March 23, we celebrated the 8th anniversary of Morning Star. Sometimes its hard to imagine that it was only eight years ago that Cecil and I moved back here from Florida to start the MSC. Sunday was a great celebration service. It really reminded me of how far we've come over the years. We have great staff and volunteers that make it all happen. Which helps make my job so much easier and more enjoyable. I also had the priviledge of baptizing four after the service! I've included the group picture of those who stayed to watch the baptism and have lunch.

Date Night With Alanna

2011-03-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

As the kids grow older, my wife and I have tried to find ways to connect with our children on an individual basis. Connecting with my son tends to be fairly easy since he loves to sports especially baseball. But connecting with my daughter is a bit more challenging. The older she gets the less interested she is in wrestling with Daddy :). So just a few months ago my wife suggested that Alanna and I should cook together because we both love to cook (and eat!). So here are a few recent pictures from our last date night. We went out together to the grocery store and bought what we needed to make Tiramisu. It was delicious! But most importantly I had a wonderful time with my totally awesome not so little, little girl!

CRAZY DAY at School

2011-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

This is Lutheran Schools Week and our kids attend Prince of Peace Lutheran School in Fremont. So each day this week the kids get to do something fun or crazy. Well, today was Crazy Day so we had lots of fun this morning helping make the kids look very crazy. Alanna was totally into it but Ethan was a little more hesitant. He didn't want anything weird done to his hair (for some reason he has always been more into comfort than coolness...probably got that from his Dad) so we worked with limited options.

Hanging out with some pastors in the area

2011-02-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, our church is part of an association called Next Generation Churches. I lead the Alameda County pastor's cluster that gets together once a quarter for breakfast and fellowship. This morning we met at one of our churches in San Leandro. I just took on this responsibility about 9 months ago so this was our third time to get together. It was an especially good meeting because each of us took some time to share what was happening in our lives and then someone else in the group prayed for us. Here are a couple of thoughts that I had during our breakfast:

Everyone (even pastors) needs someone they can talk to about life. To often we think that the more spiritually mature we are or the longer we've been a Christian the less we will need to rely on others. The opposite is actually true. The more spiritually mature you are the more you will realize how much you need other people in your life.
Everyone goes through difficult times. Somehow the idea that good Christian people never have problems gained traction in the church. I'm not sure if its the Power of Positive Thinking Movement, or the Name It Claim It Theology Group, or if its the God Wants You To Be Rich Crowd, but regardless of where it came from, that idea is totally bogus and anti-Scripture. As I shared breakfast with these pastors I realized that all of us were just as human as anyone in our churches. Some of them are having serious health issues, others have financial problems, a few had family/relationship issues. Which validates what Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world."
Talking with other Believers about what is happening in your life is good for you. It may not fix the problem but it does seem to make it more manageable.

Relationships in the Church

2011-02-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

We started a new sermon and small group series last Sunday that is studying I Corinthians 12:12-26. As the week as passed I have heard some really good comments regarding the small groups that have met. The major underlying theme that I am hearing is how enjoyable it is to spend a solid block of time in conversation about God and the Bible. I think this theme illustrates how seldom we set aside time to talk about God with other people. Usually our conversations focus on superficial things like weather, sports, or job situations. Sometimes we our close friends we discuss more important things like marriage, parenting, and financial pressures. The problem with this approach to relationships is that we focus all our attention on the outward. Whether those things be positive or negative, questions or answers, problems or solutions, they nevertheless are lacking since they bypass what should be the most central element of our life...God. So make some focused time to discuss God and what He is doing in your life this week with someone else.

BELONG Sermon and Small Group Series

2011-02-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we launched a new sermon and small group series as we study I Corinthians 12:12-26. I was really excited to see how many have signed up to participate in the small groups each week. If you missed Sunday's message you can listen online at www.msconline.org

Christmas Pictures

2010-11-26T22:03:00.001-08:00

We are ahead of schedule this year! Christmas pictures are already taken and Christmas cards already ordered. As many of you know we send out about 250 Christmas cards to the entire church family so the task of getting pictures taken, design selected, and then ordered has in the past hung over our heads like an never ending cloud, but this year my wife wisely suggested that we take the pictures before heading out to our family Thanksgiving party and so we did. Here are a few great ones that didn't make the final cut.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T21:53:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. Although over the last few years it seems that more and more people are skipping this holiday to focus solely on the gift giving of Christmas. It makes total sense for those who make money off the materialism and consumerism of the Christmas, after all its hard to encourage people to be thankful while at the same time pointing out how much they need your product. The last few days have been a wonderful time at our home. Cecil and I have gotten lots of time with the kids and haven't been too rushed. We went into this holiday season with that as the goal (since we constantly seem to find ourselves overly committed to too many things. The list of things I'm thankful for could go on and on and on but I thought I would just leave you with my top 10 (not necessarily in order of importance):
1) God - I'm glad I have someone to express my thanks too, otherwise life would truly be a cruel joke
2) A wonderful wife
3) Two beautiful, healthy children
4) My awesome church family
5) Great parents and in-laws that are fun to be with
6) A home to welcome guests too
7) That I have a job I love
8) Friends to share life with
9) The promise of heaven and eternity with Christ Jesus
10) Eggnog :)

Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-11-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Every now and then as a pastor I get invited to an early screening for a movie that in some way promotes Christian values. Hollywood film makers have realized that the Christian market is a large and important demographic and they are learning to tailor certain movies to that audience. The first movie that really demonstrated that was the Passion of the Christ directed by Mel Gibson. So last Thursday my wife and I (absent our children thanks to friends) headed out for a date which included dinner and then a screening of the new Chronicles of Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Now just in case you were not aware, the Chronicles of Narnia is a book series written by a wonderful Christian theologian, C.S. Lewis. This delightful series is embedded with tons and tons of Biblical theology and Christian symbolism. I have seen both of the previous movies and found them very good and this movie was no exception. Below I've attached one of the more spiritually meaningful scenes. If you get the chance I hope you will support this movie (disclaimer - some scenes are a little too intense (in my opinion) for those under 7 or 8 years of age).

Checking Back In

2010-11-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I posted. Life has been busy (although that's not a good excuse).The last few months have been really good at MSC. Just this last Sunday I counted eight new families that were there that have begun attending over the last few months. We have also been working on remodeling the worship center. Attached are a few pictures of some of the finished project. Special thanks to the following people who helped out in a big way: Terri Sudbrook (picked out color schemes), Gary Simas (sent over an employee from his painting company), Jack Latreille, Tim Magee, Andrew del Rosario, the band, Cecil Wroten and Carrie Pitta. And a special, special thanks to Howard Harter and Lee Pitta for answering the last minute call for help from the pastor.

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have always been especially thankful for those who serve in our armed forces. So for all the men and women that wear or have worn the uniform, my sincere thanks for your service. As always I am truly proud to be an American!

Great Sports Testimony

2010-08-26T10:20:00.001-07:00

I was really impressed by the interview from former 49ers running back Coffey. It's always exciting to see people make the decision to passionately follow Jesus regardless of the consequences.

MEGA Sports Camp

2010-08-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

This summer has been very busy and full of activities. This is a short photo collage of our Mega Sports Camp program which went really well.

Untitled from andrew del rosario on Vimeo.

Back 2 School BBQ

2010-08-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Great Sermon Video

2010-07-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

I found this clip from a pastor that I have admired from afar and wanted to share it with you. Let me know your thoughts.

Why Churches Die - Part Three

2010-05-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever played tug-of-war? I remember as a child and teenager being amazed at how the "adults" would always win when we competed at camp or on activity days. There were always more of us and as a group we were even stronger. Looking back the answer is very simple. The "adults" knew to pull together, at the same time, all the time.

So what does that have to do with why churches die? Simple: Growth churches learn how to pull together and dying churches don't. By pulling together, I don't mean uniformity. Uniformity is everyone doing the same thing. Honestly, lots of dying churches have uniformity. They all do the same things, the same ways, and then wonder why it isn't working anymore. When I say pulling together, what I mean is everyone is captivated, motivated, and working towards the same goal. For example, on a football team everyone has a different role to play. The coach calls the play, the center hikes the ball, the quarterback throws the ball, the receiver catches the ball. Although there is not uniformity, there is unity around the goal: Score a Touchdown! The ministry of a dying church is usually like a shotgun blast - wide, spread too thin, and lacking in power. In growing churches, the mission is clear, the vision is focused, and the people all play their part in making it happen.

Random Thoughts about Change

2010-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

My wife and I lead a Financial Peace University small group at our home on Friday nights. So each week I send out an update email to everyone in our group. This week I thought I would share the content of that email with you. Hopefully it will be an encouragement.

Hey Everybody,

It was great to have everyone there last Friday. I know that for some of you the progress seems slow, but I can tell that things are changing. Here is a brief synopsis of how change happens in people’s lives.
1. Thinking – The battle for change is fought in the mind. For some of you, FPU was a new and drastic way of thinking about money. This change in thinking takes time. It is the same for all of us: Resist (I don’t need to change), Question (is this really the best way?), and Embrace (this moves us to Action).
2. Actions – The actions associated with FPU are budgeting forms, cash budgets, cutting up credit cards, paying off debt, sacrificing non-essentials, and saving for the long-term. These actions are trial and error. You do well at first but then you fall off the wagon. At first the actions are a result of strong will power and discipline. You know it’s right to do but it doesn’t feel good.
3. Emotions – Lastly your emotions will start to help you in the process instead of resist you. Do you remember the first time you made the decision not to purchase something that you normally would? It’s painful! You think, “What’s the harm in buying that Starbucks, McDonald’s value meal, new clothes, electronic gadget, etc…” But after awhile you begin to train your emotions and before you know it, those things won’t have the appeal or pull they used to have. Now your emotions will begin to tell you that you can do more with less, that money/food/clothes/whatever cannot make you happy, and that you saving money is not only wise but feels good too.

So I say all of that to say this…DON’T QUIT NOW! Keep it up. It will pay off.

Why Churches Die - Part Two - Inward vs. Outward

2010-05-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

I think one of the major reasons that churches begin to decline and ultimately die is that they move from an Outward focus to an Inward focus. When new churches begin they have specific characteristics:
1. Mission focused
2. Limited bureaucracy
3. Desire to try new things
4. Focused on the community and unchurched
Over time as a church grows the focus slowly moves from those outside of the church to those inside of the church. The church begins asking all the wrong questions or not asking the right questions:
• Instead of “How do we grow?” they ask “How do we have security?”
• Instead of “What will work to reach people?” they ask “What ministries do we want in the church?”
• Instead of “What do we need to connect and be relevant with the unchurched?” they ask “What subjects are we most interested in studying, preaching on, and learning about small groups, worship services, etc…”
• They stop asking “What is working and what isn’t working?” and instead say, “This is what we’ve always done.”
Now in and of themselves none of these things is wrong. In fact many of them are good. But they should not become the driving force for the church. Luke 19:10 (NLT) says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” I truly believe that when churches lose the focus of reaching those who need Jesus, they have begun the slow descent to death.

Why do churches die?

2010-04-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been spending some substantial time working on both the transitional team and now board for Next Generation Churches of Northern California and Nevada. This process has been very eye opening and also educational as our board has needed to work through numerous vision, philisophical, and organizational hurdles. During this time, a member church decided after many years of ministry to close it's doors and they donated their building and property to our association. As part of our responsiblity as board members we are now considering the best options available for it's use. Over these months I have been able to learn more and more about this church's history and timeline. I was intrigued to learn that at one time it was a growing fellowship of believers whose attendance had grown to probably more than 200. Then upon the purchase of their final building things began a long, slow decline. Recently while touring the building and considering the options avaliable to use, I had to restroom in the upstairs. When I opened the door to go into the men's room, I saw this large VISION and MISSIONS sign. I thought to myself how sad, that this church with good intentions and real desire to follow Christ now finds itself nonexistent. So I asked myself this question, "How did this happen?" Over the next few days I plan on doing some posting in response to this question. I hope you will check in regularly and also I would love to get your thoughts on why this type of stuff happens to churches.

Exciting Easter Celebration

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

I wanted to express my thanks to all those involved in our Easter Celebration on Sunday. We had a record attendance of 190 with around 30 first time guests. So many brought friends and family to the service and so many volunteered to serve. For those in our church family, "thanks for being a part of the team!" Your involvement is making a difference.

Good Friday Service Tonight

2010-04-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Good Friday Service @ 7:00pm

www.msconline.org

Holy Week - Day 5

2010-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I read, Matthew 27:15-23 (NLT)
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.” 20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

Throughout Scripture there is a theme of the innocent taking the place of the guilty. Here are a few examples:

An innocent animal is killed to provide clothing for guilty Adam and Eve

In Exodus we read about the passover sacrifice

God institutes a sacrificial system in Exodus and Leviticus where innocent animals are offered for the sins of the entire community

Now in this passage once again, this theme is repeated. It was Roman custom that during the feast of the Passover, the Roman governor would commute the sentence of a Jewish criminal. In this case, it is a man named Barabbas. And so once again we find this theme of the innocent dying for the guilty. We should never forget that the very central truth of the crucifixion is this theme. Through Christ's death, each of us, just as Barabbas, is allowed to go free. That is why we call today, "Good Friday." The only reason today is good is because you and I do not have to face the consequences of our sins. Jesus Christ already took care of that through his death.

1 John 2:2 (NLT)
2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

Holy Week - Day 4

2010-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today I focused in on this passage:
Matthew 26:36-46 (NLT)
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” 42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

I don't know about you but that phrase, The spirit is willing, but the body is weak," certainly applies to me. Many times in my spiritual life I know what I should do but I can't seem to make it happen. Over the past three years of my life God has been doing a huge renovation project. It started with some much needed mentorship from my dear friend, Paul Null. Then it crashed into personal crisis about 1.5 years ago, then it became a family crisis with Ethan's surgery in November, and now finally things are starting to get back to normal - if there is such a thing as normal. I say all of that to say this, God has been teaching me that truly, "without Him I can do nothing." Many times we think that without God's help we limit our succes or we limit our ability to accomplish, but the truth is...any accomplishment apart from God is really no accomplishment at all. Here the disciples, Peter, James, and John, were weary and they were simply dependent on their own ability, but that was not and will never be enough. Our only true source of strength is God and Him alone, because we are dealing with our sinful nature which is powerful. In the verses following this passage, we will read how all of the disciples fled away from Jesus. They were afraid and ashamed. When we rely on our own strength (the flesh) we too will find ourselves afraid and ashamed.

Holy Week - Day 3

2010-03-31T11:09:00.001-07:00

In my devotional time this morning I read Matthew 26:17-30 (ESV)
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

This passage of Scripture describes the scene as Jesus and his disciples observe the Jewish Passover. Then at the end of the passage, Jesus establishes the Christian ordinance of Communion or the Lord's Supper. But what I really focused on this morning was the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover remembrance. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites were commanded by God through Moses to pack their bags and get ready to leave Egypt because God was going to send the 10th plague, which was the death of the 1st born son. Moses said that the death angel would "pass over" their homes and spare their eldest son if they observed this ritual. They had to kill a lamb and sprinkle the blood on the top and sides of the doorpost. When the death angel saw that mark, he would "pass over" them.
Now move forward to the Matthew 26 passage. In this passage Jesus is declaring that He is the permanent passover sacrifice. Just as the blood of the lamb spared the house from the righteous anger of God, so the shedding of His blood on the cross would spare the world from the righteous anger of God. With the original passover all were welcomed to participate in the passover feast, both Israelite and Egyptian. But of course only those who believed and worship Jehovah God participated. In the same way, all are welcomed by God to participate in the forgiveness and reconciliation that is offered through Christ's death, but only those who choose to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior will do so. So this morning I end with these words written by the Apostle Paul, "Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!" 2Corinthians 9:15 (NLT)

[1]
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. (2nd ed.). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

[1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Day 2 - Extravagant Worship

2010-03-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

This morning during my time of prayer and Bible reading I focused in on Mark 14:1-9.

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”[1]
[1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Reading this story I immediately noticed the extravagance of this woman's offering. One denarii is the equivalent of one day's wages. So the amount of this gift could be comparable to $50,000 in today's dollars. Wow! I don't know about you but that is certainly an extravagant gift. Of course, this woman's gift was given in view of the most extravagant gift in history - the gift of Christ's life on the cross. So when viewed in light of God's gift ("For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son"), this gift isn't quite an extravagant as we might think. But never the less, this story of extravagance has been recorded in the timeless pages of Scripture. Here are few thoughts I had about extravagant worship while reading this morning:

1) Extravagant worship requires a change in focus from the temporal (earthly) to the eternal (heavenly).
This woman recognized the coming crucifixion of Jesus. She understood that earthly possessions (perfume) have no comparison to eternal priorities (worship of God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength).
2) Extravagant worship makes others uncomfortable - did you notice the response of others (specifically Judas)? Their response was self righteous and hypocritical. They had been put to shame by this woman and got defensive in the process. I remember a few months back when my daughter wanted to participate in an offering at her school (Prince of Peace Lutheran). If I remember correctly, the offering was to help missionaries in remote parts of the world. She had just begun getting paid to do her chores and I think she got one dollar a week. Now she is a good saver and never spends the money. So after saving up for weeks and weeks, she had about 10 dollars. She said she wanted to give 5 dollars to the offering. Do you know what my first response was? I thought in my mind, "this is unwise, this is half of everything she has, they don't need her 5 dollars." The truth was her extravagant worship put me to shame.
3) Opportunities for extravagant worship are not always available - Jesus said, "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me." If this woman had waited just two more days to perform her act of worship, it would have been too late. Jesus would have already been arrested and his trial would have already started. If she had waited, she would have kneeled before him at the cross and wept tears of sorrow for missing her opportunity to express her love.

My prayer for today is this, "May I look for opportunities to express my extravagant worship to God for his amazing, extravagant act of grace towards me."

Day 1 - Palm Sunday

2010-03-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Matthew 21:1-11 (ESV)
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

As I read this passage of Scripture, I focused on the line in verse 10 "Who is this?" People have been asking this question for centuries. Now a days it has been rephrased a little bit to sound something like this, "What's the big deal about Jesus?" In our culture, Jesus is a great teacher, a wonderful role model, or a powerful historical figure, but He cannot be who He said He was. I love this famous quote from CS Lewis:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.

What begins the movement of God in your life and what makes you a follower of Jesus is when you honestly answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" If Jesus is God become man then this week has powerful significance, but if Jesus is just another great teacher or moralist, then we should do away with this week.

The Beginning of Holy Week

2010-03-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Normally I'm not much of a tradition person. In my mind, tradition typically means boring, routine, and very dry. But this year I've decided to do something a little bit different for the days leading up to Easter. I have been really passionate to see God work in my life lately, and so this week I've decided to begin each day focusing on Christ's path to the cross. Part of my plan is to fast from food on Thursday and Friday as a way of preparing my heart for the Good Friday Service. Another part is to read the different stories in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story leading up to the crucifixion. I hope you will join me this week in asking God to do a great work in your heart as well.

Leprechaun Trap

2010-03-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

Who would have known how much I needed to learn when Alanna started kindergarten. This week in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, we had to come up with a Leprechaun Trap. Here is a picture of the finished product...any Leprechauns in our home don't stand a chance :)

Sneak Peak at New Sermon Series

2010-03-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the graphic for the new sermon series starting on Easter. Let me know your thoughts. What's the first thing you think of when you see the graphic? Does it grab your attention? Are you interested in "reading" it?

I hope to see you Sunday at our 7th Anniversary Service. We have a BBQ and Baptism following the 10:35am service. (Cool new baptistry too! Thanks to Ernesto and Drew for helping me pick it up.)

7th Anniversary of Morning Star Church

2010-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it was seven years ago that Cecil and I started MSC. Time has flown by. Here are a list of a few of the changes we have experienced over that time.

We were young and energetic (hopefully we are still energetic but I don't think we feel young anymore)
We added two to the family (Alanna and Ethan)
We bought and sold our condo, then bought our current home
We moved the church from the Marriott, to Musick Elementary, to Ruschin School
We started MSC with 1 family and now there are about 150 people in the church family
We have had our share of struggles and difficulties but God has been faithful
We have learned to find our strength in God
We have made many wonderful friendships
We have seen people grow in Christ and we have shared the heartache of people walking away and rejecting Christ
I finished seminary and received my MDIV degree

I hope you can join us this Sunday at either the 9 or 10:35 service. After the later service, we have baptism and BBQ celebration for everyone.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T06:50:00.001-08:00

As our culture has done over and over again, a simple holiday has been commercialized. Over this past week, I have heard and seen too many commercials all suggesting that if I really want to express my love for my wife I must buy this flower arrangement or this piece of jewelry. Of course, I do think it is very appropriate to make symbolic gestures of love and appreciation on Valentine's Day, but I also think that many times people try to make up for an entire year of neglect by buying that diamond necklace or splurging on an extravagant weekend when what is really desired is meaningful connection.

Thankfully, I have been blessed with a wonderful wife who over and over again has made it clear to me that she is not impressed by extravagant financial displays. Instead she has helped me learn over almost 10 years of marriage that simple yet meaningful displays of my love mean much, much more to her. After these many years together, Cecil continues to amaze me with her passion and excitement for life; her simple yet profound words of wisdom; her superhuman powers of balancing home, marriage, personal, and family responsibilities; her desire to follow and please God; and her unconditional acceptance and love for me.

So to my dear wife I say, "I love you and Happy Valentine's Day."

So what is it really like living at the pastor's house...

2010-01-25T18:36:00.001-08:00

You might wonder from time to time what it's really like to live at my home. Well...here is a little taste from this evening. Cecile is out for dinner with a good friend so we made our own fun. Here we are playing "freeze dance" (of course all incriminating footage of myself is conspicuously absent).

Life never stops changing

2010-01-22T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today, we went out to Costco (my favorite store - if you can't find it at Costco you don't need it) and bought Alanna a twin bed. She finally outgrew her toddler bed which really wasn't designed for a child that weighs 50+ lbs. It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital and put her in the bassinet, then we transitioned to a crib, then toddler bed, and now an adult bed. I was talking with Cecil's Mom today and she said, "She's not your little baby anymore, is she?" Unfortunately, she is right.
So just a heartfelt reminder - enjoy each moment you get with your spouse, kids, friends, and anyone God brings into your life because you will never again get these moments back.

Fearless Sermon Series

2010-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. Fear, it seems, has taken a lease next door and set up shop. But what if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to the difficulties in life this year? Envision a day when you could trust more and fear less. At Morning Star, we can! Join us starting January 10th as we explore the secret to a fearless life.

Awesome Christmas Eve Service

2010-01-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas Eve Service last week. The band did a fantastic job with the music. Andrew, as normal did good job getting everything ready for the evening. Our church family brought their friends and family. In fact, we ran out of room for people. The band stayed on the stage, greeters and volunteers did without a seat, and everyone pushed in close as we added rows of extra chairs. It's always hard to get an accurate count at a service like that but the best we could come up with was about 125!

Also, I have to share how truly blessed I am by our church's generosity. I know the people in our church are not immune to all of the economic bad news. People have lost jobs, had hours cut, or are under employed. But I was amazed to see the Christmas Gift for Jesus Offering totals...just over $2,000! That money will go a long to helping our missionary partner, Tim Ekno, to provide lepers in India with a Christmas dinner, change of clothing, and the message of hope in Jesus Christ.

For all of you who served, gave, and invited...Thank you! Cecil and I are truly grateful to pastor this church. Your passion to follow Christ in all areas of life encourages us to keep serving the Kingdom.

Christmas Eve Service

2009-12-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Party For Jesus

2009-12-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

You won't want to miss church this Sunday! We have some fun stuff planned because it is the Sunday before Christmas. I will be interested to get your feedback afterwards to hear your thoughts and perspective. For some reason, Christmas sermons/services have always been a little bit stressful for me. On one hand, people expect to hear something that is Christmas oriented but on the other hand it's not like they haven't heard the Christmas story before. So this Sunday we will definitely try something totally different and also very relevant to our lives. See you then!

PS - don't forget to come back here and share your thoughts after the service.

Christmas Survey

2009-12-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

I was curious about how much people spend on average for the people on the Christmas list so I setup a poll (it's on the right margin). It's totally anonymous so help me satisfy my curiosity and answer the question. Thanks.

Life Change

2009-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

During a recent conversation with a friend, the topic of life change came up. Basically the conversation centered around how do you change who you are? For example how can you change from being an angry person to a kind person? Or a lazy person to a disciplined person? Or a person that loses their temper to one who is patient? Now I don't for one second think that what I will share in this post is the complete or final answer. In fact if I really knew a simple solution I would be making lots more money that I do currently :) and as a side note I would be a much better person. But I do believe that the Bible gives some great insight on how we change who we are. First we have to realize that life habits are developed over long periods of time, so if you have been in the habit of losing your temper for the past 10 years don't think that somehow you are going to break the habit in 1 day. Real life change takes time and lots of patience. So give yourself both. Second, I truly believe that real meaningful life change can only happen through the power of God working in agreement with our own desire for change. It is a partnership. Not either, or but both, and. Lastly, we can harness the power of the mind and it's ability to focus, to empower us for change. Simply put: where you focus your thoughts will dictate your desires, and your desires will always dictact your actions. This is why I believe in starting each day by spending time with God in His Word and in prayer. Not that reading the Bible and praying in some way magically changes you. Instead, I believe that when I focus my thoughts on what is good and important (God, my relationship with my wife, my children, my ministry, etc....) then those thoughts produce desires that become actions. We all focus our thoughts somewhere, the important question is where. The old saying is true, "What you think about, is what you are."

Don't Forget

2009-12-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

Church Volunteer Christmas Party

Saturday, December 12 at 5:00pm

Getting Ready For Christmas

2009-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Season is here and it sure feels like it. My kids got a huge kick out of seeing all the snow on the hills Monday morning. After more than 25+ years of living in the East Bay, I had never seen anything like I what I experienced on a drive over to Stockton for a meeting last Monday. It looked like a winter wonderland driving over the hill from Livermore to Tracy.

This week has been filled with planning and preparing for Christmas. Hopefully we will finish up all of our Christmas shopping this week (this is the best we’ve ever done). On Monday night we made a gingerbread house with the kids. Although Ethan’s interest in building the house quickly faded and all he wanted to do was eat the decorations. We got our Christmas pictures finished and Christmas cards ordered from Costco (on a side note: Have I ever mentioned how much I love Costco ).

Here are just a few quick thoughts that I hope will help you this week:

1. Don’t forget about Jesus in the busyness of Christmas – if you don’t make time each day to celebrate his birth, it will never happen

2. Spend time doing things with your family and children – don’t buy this culture’s philosophy of Christmas…buy…buy…buy

3. Make your motto: Presence not Presents

4. Give your spouse and kids a big hug and kiss every morning and every evening – it will make your day better

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

For all my friends and family who read this blog, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Here are some very wise words of advice - DON'T EAT TOO MUCH!!!

Here is a picture of my kids deciding to use chalk as makeup. Alanna told me they were movie stars :)

I finally got some Christmas lights up around the house. Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Wow, Josh is really on top of things." But don't be deceived. You see the real story is that I bought these lights three years ago, but this is the first time I have ever taken them out of the box. Now doesn't that make you feel better that you aren't the only one who procrastinates?

I found a new recipe that is guaranteed to take five years off your lifespan :). It's called "Deep Fried Stuffing." Basically you take sausage, enclose it in turkey stuffing, deep fry it, and then dip it in gravy. It really, really tastes good.

Having this woman in my arms, definitely makes this a Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my wonderful wife of almost 10 years. She fills my life with so many wonderful things that if I took the time to list them all, I would never finish this post. But I will suffice to say, Cecil is definitely on the top of my Thanksgiving list!

This is my family photo from our Thanksgiving get together. Starting from left to right: Me, Grandma Mabel, Alanna, Cecil, Ethan, my Mom Kathy, my nephew Jeremy, my Dad Wade, niece Lilly, my brother Jeremy, my sister-in-law Mary, and niece Bella. We had a great time at my parent's house in Vacaville.

Here is my Thanksgiving prayer for all of you: May God bless you with family and friends along the journey that will allow you to enjoy your achievements and successes. May you remember that only two things matter in life - God's Kingdom and relationships - and may you live your life accordingly...Blessings.

Happy 65th Birthday To My Father-In-Law

2009-11-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we had a small birthday celebration for my father-in-law, Cecilio. I am really blessed to have such wonderful in-laws. They have been so supportive of our marriage, helping with the kids, and just being wonderful people.

Some Final Pictures From The Hospital

2009-11-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to looking through our photos from the final two days at the hospital. Here are a few of the better ones. As you can tell from the pictures, Ethan was very excited to go home. On Friday, when I told him that we were officially discharged and could leave, he quickly asked me to put him in the wheelchair. While I packed, he sat there and made up some wonderful songs about the joys of going home, seeing his sister, taking a nap, and leaving the hospital. Cecil and I have been amazed at how well he is doing. It's almost as if he never had surgery. Our pickest struggle now is trying to continually explain to him that he cannot run up and down the stairs, play baseball, or rough house with his sister or me.

Thanks again for all your prayers!

We Are Home!

2009-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well…the entire process is over. The surgery went perfectly and Ethan was moved out of the ICU after only one day. Then on Thursday, they removed all the final wires and tubes so that they could monitor him until discharge on Friday. On Friday he was discharged around 1:30pm. His doctors have been impressed by how quickly he has recovered. Cecil and I are worn out and very tired, but it’s a good tired since we know it’s over. Thanks again for all your prayers, emails, and phone calls. It is wonderful to know how many people care. When I'm a little more rested I will post some pictures of the last three days.

2nd Day - Out of the ICU

2009-11-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today has been very busy. At about 5:00am this morning, Ethan was moved to a different section of the ICU to get ready to move upstairs. To prepare for the move, his nurses had to take out 3 of the 5 IV's. To say the least that made the morning and early afternoon very stressful. At about 4pm, his nurse wheeled him up to his new room on the 3rd floor. In his new room, Cecil and I are both allowed to sleep and eat in the room. After last night, we both could use some sleep.

Ethan is doing some light eating and drinking (crackers, jello, juice, and water). Tonight his nurse inspired him to eat by providing chocolate ice cream. Because he isn't having enough fluids, they are still giving him fluids through the IV. With all of the trauma of having his IV’s removed, Ethan has a phobia of nurses touching him. So tonight, I took his blood pressure and temperature to keep him from freaking out. Later on he asked me if he could sit on my lap. It took a little bit of work maneuvering all the tubes and wires, but we managed. Hopefully after a good night of sleep he will be a little more relaxed.

Thanks again for all your prayers, comments, and emails. They are encouraging to read and I share them with Cecil throughout the day.

Post Operation Pictures

2009-11-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to calm down. They pulled out his oxygen tube and a few of the sensors. Ethan is finally wake for an extended period of time. Right now he's watching the movie Cars and he is providing us with narration, which is a good sign. He finally got to have a little bit of water and he is now waiting to have some apple juice once they bring it to the room. Our plan tonight is to do shifts. While one of us stays awake in the room the other one will try and get some rest in the parent's lounge.

Recovery

2009-11-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to come in the room and see Ethan. I don't think anything could have prepared us for all the tubes, IV's, and wires that were sticking out of his body. I believe they said he has six IV's on various spots of his body, there are at least eight drips going into the IV's, and then of course all the monitoring devices. And that's on top of the chest drainage tube, catheter, and temporary pace maker wires sticking out of the center of his chest.We are starting to grow accustomed to the constant beeps and buzzes that seem to be ongoing.

So far Ethan is resting peacefully. If he continues to progress as they expect, they will begin to lower the amount of anesthesia and this will hopefully help him to begin breathing on his own. He will probably wake up sometime this evening at which time they will begin to pull out his breathing tube. We are a little fearful of how he will respond to all of the wires and IV's. Hopefully he will stay calm and be able to relax. Please keep us in prayer because it is very difficult to see Ethan in this condition. Of course we are so grateful the surgery went well but now we are just concerned about his pain level and his continued recovery.

Everything is okay!

2009-11-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I can finally breath again...We just met with the surgeon, Dr. Reddy. He said everything went exactly as planned. They made a baffle from the tissue in the sack around his heart and used that to redirect the blood to the correct chamber of the heart. About 20 minutes after our meeting with Dr. Reddy, we met with the anesthesiologist and he said there were no complications with the anesthesia. In our conversation with him, he said that after they rolled Ethan out to the operating room, he told them he didn’t like their TV as much as the one that he was watching before, because it didn’t have his favorite cartoon, Curious George. So now we are waiting outside of the ICU for them to call us into his room. Cecil and I are doing well. We have had my parents here keeping us company which has been nice. Once we heard the good news, it was like a huge weight was lifted. Thank you all for your support, kind messages, and prayers! We are so grateful for our friends and family and all of the support we have received. Once I get some pictures, I will post them. Please keep praying for his continued recovery.

Just waiting....

2009-11-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well, we are just waiting. We arrived at Stanford this morning at 7:00am. After meeting with the anesthesiologist, Ethan drank the medicine that got him relaxed. It was somewhat funny to hear him begin to slur his words and lose his sense of balance. After some tearful goodbyes, they carted Ethan off into the operating room.

This is the schedule for the day (give or take an hour):

9:00am prep for surgery

10:00am surgery should begin

11:00am our meeting with the surgeon and Ethan’s transfer to ICU

12:00pm we finally get to see Ethan

Thanks for all your prayers!

Second Pre-Op

2009-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Ethan had his pre-op (for the second time). Cecil told me he did great. Since I have been away at a seminar in Chicago, I asked my Dad to help with the pre-op. As you can tell from the pictures, Ethan had fun hanging out with his Papa. The surgery is scheduled first thing on Monday morning at 7:00am. During the appointment, the surgical staff recommended “quarantining” the entire family because at this moment we are all healthy. So Cecil and I made the decision to pull Alanna out of the school until Monday and also to keep everyone home from any activities including church until Monday as well. Of course I am the exception to that because of needing to work and most importantly teach on Sunday. Please pray for all of us to stay healthy as we near the surgery date. We appreciate all of your prayers and thoughtful comments. I will be doing my best to keep you posted as we approach the surgery date.

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Wife!

2009-10-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

My wife celebrated her birthday on Wednesday this week and I celebrated my birthday today. This is the 10th birthday we have celebrated together since we got married and the 17th birthday since we first met in 9th grade. I have found that my wife is like a fine wine, she gets better with age (I know that's a cheesy line but it's true). In fact, my love for Cecil has continued to grow through our years of marriage. She isn't perfect, but she's closer to perfection than anyone else I know. And of course, anyone that can put up with me for all of these years deserves some serious extra credit. Cecil, thanks for so many wonderful memories. I love you with all my heart.

We had a great time out tonight for dinner and then a slice of Coco Kahlua Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!

PS - Special thanks to Lee & Carrie, we had a wonderful time at MacArthur Park Restaurant. Thanks for the recommendation.

Alanna's First Field Trip

2009-10-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

All parents will understand exactly how I feel when I say, "Kids grow up so fast." Yesterday, Alanna had her first field trip to Joann's Farm in Livermore. It just seems like yesterday that Alanna was just learning to say, "Dada," or that Cecil was teaching her the alphabet. Today, as you can see from the pictures, she is becoming a vibrant, beautiful young lady. She is full of energy and life. We also got her first report card yesterday and we were so proud that she received all +'s. Of course it is kindergarten but still, I'm a Dad so I get to brag :)!

Thanks for the all the comments and emails

2009-10-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who are taking the time to read and respond to my blog. It's great to see the comments and get emails. One of the small blessings that we have experienced during this difficult time has been the outpouring of love and concern from so many of our friends and family.

Surgery Rescheduled

2009-10-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

The new scheduled surgery date is Monday, November 16. Because of the length of delay, Ethan will need to go through pre-op again. The pre-op is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10.

Postponing the Surgery

2009-10-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

It can’t be said that we didn’t try hard. But regardless of our best efforts, Ethan is definitely sick. It first started early last week with a slight cough. By this Thursday it became a running rose. This afternoon it became a fever, watery eyes, and sneezing. So we are going to have to postpone the surgery. Once I have the new details I will be sure to update everyone. Please continue to pray that everyone in the family will get healthy. Also pray that we can get back on schedule. The last two weeks have been a combination of illness (for me) and then preparation for the surgery. All that to say…I have a ton of things to catch up on at the office.

Two days and counting

2009-10-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the last few days have been very challenging. On Thursday morning, Alanna started coughing. So we kept her home from school. Later that day her symptoms got worse. By about midnight, her fever was 104.7. So I stayed up with her through the night to make sure she was okay. Thankfully her fever went down to 103 around 5am and I was able to get some rest. Of course that meant Cecil (who was still recovering from her own illness) had to take care of the household. Then on Friday night and this morning, Ethan began running a low fever (about 101). Thankfully it was gone by about 10am this morning.

Because of the upcoming surgery, we are trying to keep the entire family quarantined. So we have either stayed in the house or gone outside to the park. Today we were all very tired of being cramped up inside, so we went to the beach in Half Moon Bay. It was a beautiful day at the coast and the salty air seemed to help the kids.

Please pray for all of us to get well and especially that Ethan will be totally healthy by Monday morning. Both kids seemed to be doing better tonight before bed, but who knows what tomorrow holds. I still think everything will work out for Monday morning, but if there is one thing I've learned, it's that you never know what will happen tomorrow. Also, pray for Cecil and me. The closer the surgery gets the more nervous and anxious we are. Tonight, I just spent some time holding Ethan and praying silently before I put him to bed. The other night as I was putting him to bed, I told him how proud I was of how he handled the pre-op visit and how brave he was. His response was, "Dad, I really don't like those blood tests."

Sometimes I wonder how aware he is of what is going to happen. Those of you who know him, know that he is a very energetic boy, so I am praying that he will be able to be patient through his recovery. His favorite thing to do is "play wrestle and tackle with Daddy." Of course he won't be able to do that for about 2-3 months.

I'll give you another update tomorrow night. Thanks again for your prayers.

PS - feel free to post comments if you would like. I am somewhat curious to see if anyone is following my postings.

Ethan's Surgery Updates

2009-10-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

With so many of you praying for Ethan, it was getting more and more difficult to continue emailing everyone, so I decided to post about his surgery. For those of you who aren't quite aware of what is going on you can check out the previous post.

Today was the pre-op. As you can see from the pictures, Stanford is being very cautious about the H1N1 virus. When we arrived at 7:30am we had to check in with security and they then directed us to a nurse's station where they checked Ethan's temperature and gave us masks to wear. Starting last Monday, Stanford has a new policy that no one under the age of 16 is allowed in the hospital unless they are the patient. Unfortunately this means Alanna will not be allowed to visit her brother, which is another reason I am going to post pictures so that she can stay connected.

Here is what happened during the day:

Admitting - signed all the paperwork for the surgery
Chest X-Ray
Echo cardiogram - they did a thorough and complete check of his heart which took over one hour. The staff were so impressed with how great Ethan did that they gave him an extra special gift...a Luke Skywalker figurine!
EKG
Appointment with the surgical staff - our surgeon, Dr. Reddy, decided to push the surgery back to Monday since Ethan does have a minor cough and runny nose. (more on this later)
Lab work - After today, Ethan hates anything remotely connected with blood tests.
Donation of blood - I stopped by the Blood Donation Building to give another unit for the surgery.

So all in all the day went well. We are somewhat relieved that the surgery was pushed back to Monday. Cecil has been very sick and she continues to need R & R. Hopefully this gives our whole family time to heal up and get ready for Monday. The staff suggested that we isolate Ethan as much as possible. So we will not be attending church this weekend since we don't want to pick up any new illnesses.

Thanks again for your prayers, phone calls, and emails. It is always a blessing to know that we are so loved. I intend to continue posting updates and pictures all through next week so hopefully everyone can stay in touch with what is happening.

Update on my son, Ethan

2009-09-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his MRI today at Stanford. Everything went very smoothly. He is already back to running around the house and wanting to wrestle with me.

The results came back quicker than we thought. I received a call from the Pediatric Cardiologist at Kaiser about 1 hour ago. The MRI confirmed his suspicions that one of the arteries from the lungs was connected to the wrong chamber of the heart. In addition to that, Ethan also has a fifth small artery (most people only have four) from the middle part of the lungs that is also carrying blood to the wrong chamber. The ratio of blood flow in and blood flow out of the lungs is 1.9 to 1, instead of 1 to 1 as it should be. Our doctor confirmed that even without consultation with the pediatric surgeon open heart surgery is needed to repair the problem. We are waiting to hear back from Stanford to set the date of the surgery.

As you can imagine, this news is not easy to hear. We are still in a little bit of shock that our precious three year old is going to have to undergo such major surgery. At the same time, we are grateful that this problem was recognized early, instead of having to wait until much later in life to recognize symptoms when the damage would have been irreversible. We are also so grateful for those of you who have taken the time to pray and email. You have been a great encouragement. Please continue to pray for Ethan, our family, and the upcoming surgery. Once the date has been set and we know more details I will pass them along.

Getting everyone caught up on my life...

2009-09-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

It has been almost year to the date since I last blogged. For the past 3 months, I have continued to tell myself that I needed to get back to the weekly routine but obviously that didn't work. So I'm sure that all of you that are faithful blog readers (I'm only aware of one faithful reader - my wife :) and she just makes sure that I don't post anything too ridiculous), have been wondering what has been going all over the past year that has kept me from this incredibly important job of posting. So, here is the answer....

Some major personal stuff that I needed to work through - this is still a work in progress but seems to be headed in the right direction now.
Two month sabbatical from church life (December and January) which was connected to #1. This gave me a chance to get a break, finish the semester of seminary (I was taking 12 credit hours including Greek and Hebrew), spend time with my family, and do some much needed personal heart work.
My wife took a trip with her Dad to the Philippines in February for 3 weeks. It was her first trip home since she left at the age of 5.
Graduating from seminary with my Master of Divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary - It took me 7 years to complete a 3 year degree but its finally over. The joke at our house is that now I expect to be called Mastor Josh like my great model in ministry the unpretentious Master Yoda.
The final summer with my daughter before she started kindergarten. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. Alanna has turned into a beautiful young girl. She certainly takes after her mother. She is kind, compassionate, very obedient, loves God, and is always singing, dancing, or making up lyrics to a new song that are in her head.

Well...that just about does it. Hopefully this posting becomes the first of many more.

Parenting Survey

2008-09-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I would pass along the word that our parenting survey (http://www.parenting.msconline.org/) is up and operational. Special thanks to Rod Rozin for all of his web design expertise and Andrew del Rosario for the video. Make sure to visit the site and take the survey so that you can get your free copy of the book Parenting Isn't for Super Heroes. I am very excited about this upcoming sermon series that will focus on Building Blocks for Successful Families. If you have friends with kids, make sure to invite them to attend. I know they will be helped!

Parenting Survey

2008-08-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm here in my Hebrew class and I got a couple of minutes free. Just wanted to let you know about our exciting parenting sermon series, seminar, and survey that will be launching soon. I especially want to encourage you to take the online parenting survey (should be ready by this Monday). Once you take the survey make sure to pass the news along to all your friends and family.

Watching The Olympics

2008-08-12T23:39:00.001-07:00

I know...I should be asleep right now. I have a full, busy day tomorrow and I definitely need the sleep. But I'm really enjoying watching the Olympics. I guess its a combination of the competition and patriotism. I am very proud to be an American. No other country in the world has the unique mixture of freedom and opportunity. Phelps just won another gold medal in the 800m relay! I would be yelling at the television, but the everyone else in the house is asleep.

One last thought: As exciting as competing in the Olympics is...following Jesus Christ is a million times better!

Sunday Recap

2008-08-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

It was a great joy to be in church today. Although it feels a little bit odd not to be speaking (I have had the last 2 Sunday's off), the message was just what I needed. If you missed hearing Paul Null's message on the need for rest you should visit the church website (www.msconline.org) and listen to it. After church we had Paul and Rene Null over to our home for lunch and some great conversation. I am grateful to have a friend like Paul. Every person should have a "Paul" in their life. He is the consummate mentor, friend, and encourager!

This evening's New Community service was rockin! The music and spirit was great. If you don't attend the New Community services (first Sunday night of each month) then you are really missin' out. Rich Stormo presented the budget for the new year. We confirmed the leadership team's decision to approve the hiring of Andrew del Rosario as full time staff! I had the chance to discuss where I believe the Lord is leading us as a church (being a day by day Christian - Acts 2:42-47). We celebrated our salvation and forgivness in Christ with communion. And we even got out close to on time:)

Well, it was a full day for me and I'm tired. We just got the kids in bed and Cecil and I are going to enjoy our favorite TV show Numbers(can it still be called a TV show if I watch it on my laptop over the internet?).

Video Update

2008-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Men's Bible Study Notes

2008-06-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Our church has a men's group that meets on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month. Group 1 meets on Sunday at 5:00pm and Group 2 meets on Wednesday at 7:00pm. One of the areas that all men (including myself) need to continually work on is: leadership, especialy leadership at home. In last week's lesson I spoke about this subject. Hopefully the notes will be an encouragement.

Leading at home involves
1. Spiritual leadership
2. Financial leadership
3. Romantic leadership
4. Parental leadership

• By nature, women are responders. Although they may, because of lack of male leadership, fill a leadership need, this is not how they are designed.

Spiritual leadership involves:
1. Leading by example – I Corinthians 9:27
2. Establishing the direction of the home – Joshua 24:15
3. Insuring the spiritual health of your wife and children – Ephesians 5
4. Bringing your family to church and involvement in church – Hebrews 10:25

Financial leadership involves:
1. Providing for your family’s necessities of life – I Timothy 5:8
2. Establishing the financial objectives for your family
a. Necessities
b. Giving
c. Emergencies
d. Debt Retirement
e. Retirement
f. College
3. Rejecting selfish spending
4. Participating in financial decision making

Romantic leadership involves:
1. Committing to love your wife – Ephesians 5
a. Love her the way God made her
b. Refusing to cheat
c. Maintaining the dating/honeymoon approach to relationships
d. Proactively creating time to be with each other
2. Loving even when the feelings aren’t there
3. Spending time and money to pursue her
4. Separating her need from affection from your need for sex
5. Alleviating the worries of her mind (housework, child work, etc…) so that she can care for your needs 

Parental leadership involves:
1. Deciding the boundaries for your children – Hebrews 12:7
2. Disciplining your children when you are present
3. Interacting with your children to know and understand them – Ephesians 6:1-3
4. Making decisions about school, clothing, friends, sports, etc…
5. Protecting your children from over involvement in extra-curricular activities
6. Confronting children (when older) about wrong decisions

Home leadership principles:
1. Good husbands always involve their wife in the decision making process
2. Good husbands always take responsibility for the decisions of the entire family
3. Good husbands firmly but lovingly lead their wife and children
4. Good husbands always speak well of their wives

Steps to good leadership:
1. Confess to God your failure/sin in not leading your family
2. Confess and apologize to your wife for your failure/sin in not leading your family (and children if old enough)
3. Spend one week in prayer (and fasting) asking God to give you a vision for your family’s future in these four areas – write that vision down
4. Share the vision with your wife (and children if old enough) – allow them the freedom to help shape the vision
5. Firmly but lovingly lead in all of these areas

What if my wife won’t follow?
1. Do what is right because it is right; not because you want your wife to change
2. It is your responsibility to lead; it is your wife’s responsibility to follow
• You’ve failed in your area; give her some time and grace in her area
3. Stick with it
• If it took you years to get into this mess, you won’t fix it in one day

Genesis Essay

2008-06-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

I just completed a week long class titled the Message of Genesis. The professor was John Sailhamer. One of our assignments was to write a brief essay on the message of Genesis. If you find any typos, there is a reason: My wife didn't have the chance to proof read it :)

Genesis Paper - Body - Upload a doc

Saying Hello With My Son

2008-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Baptism Celebration

2008-06-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was awesome! I had the privilege of baptizing five new believers. It was great to hear their testimonies as they shared about how they have made the decision to become followers of Jesus Christ. Baptism is the one external action that delineates believers from non-believers. It is the outward decision that symbolizes that God has already done a spiritual transformation on the inside. I am especially thankful that three of those who were baptized are a part of our children's ministry. It is a great testimony to effectiveness of Cyanna, Nancy, and our entire children's ministry team.

Dealing with Temptation

2008-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Having been a Christian since I was a child, it is easy for me to "get in a rut" spiritually. One of the things that helps prevent that from happening is to do different things in my devotional life. Sometimes I walk while I pray, sometimes I sing, sometimes I just sit and focus on what God is doing in my life and what He has to say to me. One of changes that I have made recently is that in preparation for Sunday's sermon I read my text each day of the week. This helps me not to rush through Bible reading and to really focus on the text, even the parts I may have overlooked in the past. As I have been reading this Sunday's text, Matthew 4 the temptation of Christ, I have noticed some interesting things.
1. It's not a sin to be tempted.
2. Jesus passed with flying colors, so that we can have hope that if we abide in Him we can as well.
3. All of the temptations have the same root cause: shortcuts to getting what Jesus wanted.

I think that most of the temptations that we "fall into" are caused when we take shortcuts: spiritual shortcuts, relational shortcuts, work shortcuts, etc...

So pray for me and you this coming week that we won't take any shortcuts!

Also here's an interesting take on the Temptation of Christ.

http://bigorangetruck.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/super-bowl-in-the-wilderness/

What I've Been Up To...

2008-05-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Life has been moving a thousand miles a minute over the last few months. Between Easter, Anniversary Sunday, Pastor's Retreat, Seminary classes, Financial Peace University, sermon preparation, and much, much more time just flies by. I'm sure your life experience is very simililar. One of the things that I have been investing a lot of my time in is my Old Testament class at seminary. So I thought I would post the product of my hard work for all of you to read. It is an exegesis of Isaiah 14:3-23. Hope you enjoy!

OT2 Final Exegesis Paper - Body & Bib - Upload a doc

Financial Peace University

2008-03-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

It was exciting to see over 30 adults meet tonight for the first session of Financial Peace University. I can still remember Cecil and I going through this course a few months after we were married. The principles we learned changed our financial future. The saying is true, "Either you run your money or your money runs you." For those of you attending the class, I encourage you to jump in with both feet. Don't hold back. The principles work and if you work the system your financial future will be changed. You can learn more about FPU at www.daveramsey.com

MacGyver

2008-03-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

The other day I came across a web link for some classic TV shows (http://www.cbs.com/classics/). One of my all time favorite TV shows is included - MacGyver. My brother and I really loved watching this show. I had the opportunity to watch some of the episodes from the original season. For some reason, I still love them. Most of the actors are aweful, the dialog is hilarious, and the plots are always the same, but I still enjoy watching them. You might enjoy one yourself so take a look.

My Worship Pilgrimage

2008-02-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I decided to post a recent assignment from the Worship Class that I am taking in seminary this semester. The title is My Worship Pilgrimage. I will spare you the title page and some of the other formalities.

The story of my worship pilgrimage is intrinsically connected to my faith journey. Church and faith have always been the priority of my life. Even at a young age, everything revolved around church and God. As you may have guessed, I was reared in the home of a pastor. When I was three years old, my father started a church in San Leandro, CA. My earliest memories are of knocking doors in the neighborhood to invite people to church, standing on a wooden stool behind the pulpit to sing special music with my brother while my mother accompanied us on the piano, and having missionaries and visiting preachers come over to our house for Sunday dinner. What makes my story unique is the type of church I grew up in. We were unashamedly fundamental, independent Baptists. We believed in knocking on doors, running buses to pickup children, and only using the King James Version of the Bible. Women were not allowed to wear pants, no one could listen to music that had percussion accompaniment, and under no circumstances were you allowed to go to the movie theater. I remember my Dad preaching against rock music, watching television, and women wearing “britches.” As a child, my favorite sermons were the ones dedicated to pointing out the ills of rock and roll and contemporary Christian music. What makes this context so important to understanding my worship pilgrimage is that our church movement considered the use of worship in connection with a song service to be a compromise. I even heard numerous sermons belittling the title “Praise and Worship Music.” For me, a good song service came down to two things. The first was making sure that the right music was being sung (only hymns and gospel songs). The second was making sure that the right music was being sung in the right way (no lifting of hands, no fancy accompaniment, and no sliding of the voice). In our song services we were encouraged to sing energetically and loudly. The idea that the song service was an opportunity to encounter God was totally foreign to my thinking.

Now fast forward about fifteen years and things have obviously changed. I’m enrolled in a Southern Baptist Seminary (this would be the epitome of the dark slide to liberalism), I started a non-denominational church, I no longer use the King James Version (I actually believe it to be an inferior translation from an inferior text), and our church has a rock band that leads worship each Sunday. Things have really changed! With the evolution of my theology and philosophy of ministry, my view of worship has also evolved. I can still remember the first time I closed my eyes during a worship service. I felt as though everyone would judge me for being too charismatic. Even when I started Morning Star Church, I can remember feeling awkward lifting my hands in praise to God (even though I was the pastor). Over time, especially the last seven years, my view of worship has evolved significantly. Because I am the pastor of the church, my evolution has had a profound impact on the worship services that I attend.

In the early years of my Christian life, the essence of singing in church was summed up with these two ideas. The first was that congregational singing was an opportunity for the local congregation to proclaim together their shared belief and faith. The second was that the music chosen for singing should evangelize the lost. Most of the singing in my youth would be considered revivalist in style. It featured upbeat piano music that accompanied gospel songs like: I Have Found a Friend in Jesus, Count Your Many Blessings, Victory in Jesus, and Blessed Assurance. My present understanding of worship, as a personal encounter with God, was not remotely connected with my early thoughts or experiences. This one shift in my thinking has been the most significant. Instead of viewing music in church as simply a traditional element that needs to be included, the focus is now on finding ways for people to encounter God. The emphasis is switched from specific activities to cultural avenues of encountering God. Music is just one avenue that can be used to worship God. Everything in our Sunday services should be designed to assist people in connecting with their Creator. Because of this transformation in my thinking, our church has been free to utilize any and all means, within the boundaries of Scripture, to create these life changing moments. In a normal Sunday service, you might find a loud, rocking praise song and a simple a capella hymn. By recognizing the importance of the end and not being overly conscious of the means, we can study our culture and create meaningful opportunities for connection.

Worship is simply a personal encounter with God. Sometimes that encounter includes praise, sometimes it includes repentance, sometimes it includes silence, and sometimes it includes celebration. Meaningful worship brings me face to face with who God is. God’s truth and essence intersect my fallen, frail humanity. The revelation of truth demands a response. For me that response is called worship. Worship cannot be limited to a service or sacred moment (church). Worship can take place as I watch my children run and play, as I enjoy the comforts of a soft bed, or as I weep in confession of my sin. Worship is a relationship with God. One mark of maturity that I desire is that these moments of worship would increase each day. I can become far too busy in the routines of this life and I miss these God-moments.

As it relates to worship services, I have a few preferences. Some are Biblical preferences while others are just personal preferences. For me, the most important component of a worship service is the idea of truth. Music that communicates truth about God assists me to worship more than any other type of music. In some of the modern worship music, the focus is on the experience of the worshipper. It deals with how we feel, think, and act. There is a place for testimonial worship, but God’s truth is what produces our testimony. The first thing I look for in a great worship song is how much truth is communicated. Personal experiences can vary from person to person, but truth is relevant in all of our lives. The second preference I have is that music not be too repetitive. I am not interested in getting hyped up about a certain line in the song that is repeated twenty times. Unfortunately, many a worship service has been ruined for me by the over use of a particular phrase. Obviously this is a personal preference, but nevertheless it influences me.

The greatest worship discouragements revolve around my personal failings. Because of my upbringing in a legalistic, fundamentalist church, my conceptions about God were quite twisted. It has taken many, many years to detangle myself from these partial truths. The worst conception that I embraced was that I could impress God through my good words. As I grew older, the reality of my fallenness hit me very hard. After sinning, I felt I needed to prove to God that I could do better. Hence, I would wait sometimes for days to pass before coming back to God in prayer and confession. This greatly affected my ability to worship. If I had a morally good week, then I felt worthy to worship God; but if I had struggled with sin, I felt unworthy to interact with Him. The quality of worship was determined by my ability to keep myself in God’s good standing. All of these ideas are obviously unhealthy and unbiblical. The recognition that God’s grace was free, abundant, and always available has helped to liberate my worship experience. I cannot earn my experience and interaction with God.

God continues to work in my life to teach me about Himself. Organized worship is forced focus on God. I look forward to our worship services because the Holy Spirit uses them to remind me about His love and grace, convict me about sin and rebellion, and encourage me to fulfill my God-given mission. My prayer is that my worship experience would never become routine or programmatic. I want to experience God every day in new and exciting ways. Organized worship is an opportunity to have new avenues of connection opened in my life.

Hello Again

2008-02-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a month long hiatus from posting here on my blog. There are numerous reasons for this but the primary one is: laziness...I just haven't gotten around it. But that doesn't mean that nothing important has happened over the last few weeks. Here are a few of things going on:

I started the spring semester of seminary. I am taking Introduction to Old Testmant II and Worship and Music in the Faith Community. The countdown is on until graduation. I only have 21 more credit hours to graduate. At my current pace I should graduate in May of 2010 :).
Our church is launching Financial Peace University starting on March 8. We currently have over 30 adults registered to attend. I truly believe that this program will change our church forever! It certainly changed my life when Cecil and I attended.
We have seen over 40 first time guests attend our services since January 1st. Many of these people are continuing to attend and some are starting to get involved.
Church attendance has grown by 40% since January 1st. For the first time in our church history, we are averaging over 100 each Sunday in attendance. I believe that God is preparing us for our future at the Patterson Ranch Property.

So that's a brief summary of what is new. Don't forget Easter is just around the corner! It's on March 23rd this year.

Health Update

2008-02-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

As many of you are aware, I was diagnosed with high cholesterol this past November (264). My doctor at Kaiser suggested that I start taking medication to help bring it down. When I was 24, I was also diagnosed with high cholesterol and my doctor had me take Lipitor to bring it down. So...for the past three months I have been on the diet from hell. I decided back in November that I was going to do everything in my power to keep from taking medication. I cut out all desserts, all saturated fat, almost all regular fats. I cut out beef and pork. I limited myself to small amounts of chicken and fish.

So you are probably wondering what happened. First I have to thank my wife for making this lifestyle change much easier to accomplish. She is totally supportive of my diet. In fact everyone in the house basically is living on this same diet. We started making homemade soups, substituting egg whites for eggs in baking, cooking without added fats (butter & oil), using lots and lots of fruits, vegetables, and salads. So here's what happend: 1. I lost 15 pounds (not purposely, but as a side affect of eliminating bad food) 2. My energy level went way, way up (I feel better, sleep better, and need less sleep) 3. I lowered my cholesterol by 74 points (It is now 190!!!)

Maybe some of you need encouragement to make a lifestyle change. In hindsight, I'm really glad that I found out about my high cholesterol because it forced me to change. If you haven't been to your doctor in while you should make it a priority to have a yearly checkup. So eat healthy and live happy!

Time To Start Fresh

2008-01-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in life, I just have to start things over again. There have been times with my kids that I have responded the wrong way, I was too harsh, or I was just no fun to be around. Instead of trying to explain to my 3 and 1 year old why Daddy was grumpy or angry, etc...I just told them this: "Daddy's sorry for acting the way he did, please forgive me and let's start over again." Similar things have happened in my relationship with my wife, instead of trying to sort through who did or said this or that, we just decided that we needed to start from scratch, start over again. That is one of the things that I love about the New Year, it's a chance for a fresh start. Thankfully, God is a God of new beginnings and second chances. Maybe there are things that happened in 2007 that didn't turn out how you hoped. Maybe you made some wrong decisions. Maybe you had misplaced priorities. Don't let your past determine your future.
This Sunday, I will be starting a new sermon series on Starting fresh in 2008. I hope that you will either join us at Morning Star Church or take the time to download the sermons from the church website, once they are posted. Remember this is a New Year, make it count!

Two Sunday Services

2008-01-06T16:29:00.001-08:00

This morning we officially kicked off our new early service at 9:00am. I am thankful for the people that made the switch to the early service. It will help us open up additional space in our 10:35am service. It is always encouraging to me to watch our people at work. Our band members played for both services and did a great job. I know how hard it is to be energetic at 9:00am but they did awesome. I'm also proud of our church and how they have embraced the goal of reaching out into the community. Sometimes that means we have to make sacrfices but it is always worth it.

This week we will be sending 37,000 of these mailer pieces to our community inviting them attend our services. Please pray with me that God will work in our community so that we have a great response to this outreach. Next Sunday should be exciting! Have a great first full week of 2008.

Interesting New Movie Coming Out

2008-01-06T16:16:00.001-08:00

This upcoming movie by Ben Stein really caught my attention! It focuses on the hostile academic environment that surrounds Darwinism, evolution, and the theories about the origins of man. In almost of schools and colleges in America, Darwinism or evolution is presented as fact not theory. As this movie so easily points out, there are growing numbers of scientists and biologists that are questioning evolutionary theory. Personally I have always found the theory of evolution to run contrary to the most foundation scientific principles especially the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics. The First Law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. The theory of evolution can offer no logical explanation for the origins of energy or matter. Who created what evolved? The Second Law states that "energy systems have a tendency to increase their entropy." Entropy in layman's language means chaos or disorganization. Simply stated it means that things get worse not better. The entire concept of evolution is based on the foundation that things are slowly yet surely getting better. Life is evolving into more complex forms. The Second Law says that isn't how things work. If you have some free time go ahead and visit www.expelledthemovie.com and check out the trailer, I'm sure you will find it intriguing.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

We had a great time ringing in the New Year (we didn't quite make it until midnight, Ethan got tired around 10pm) at Andrew and Cyanna's house. The theme of the party was the 80's. As you can see from the pictures it was quite a sight to behold. Cyanna and Nicole even got my wife to redo her hair. It was great to see our singles (and young marrieds) celebrating the new year in a way that brings glory to God. There wouldn't be any regrets or bad memories from this party, just good, clean fun! It was great to hang out, eat, listen to 80's music, and play video games! Happy New Year!

Great Christmas Weekend Services!

2007-12-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas weekend at Morning Star this year! On Sunday the 23rd our children's ministry had a small Christmas presentation. They sang four songs and memorized the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke chapter two. Cyanna del Rosario our children's ministry leader has done a great job of teaching and training the children of our church. Then on Christmas Eve we had two services. Our worship ministry, tech, and drama teams all did a great job of communicating the simple message of Christ's birth. Our creative ministries have really grown and flourished under Andrew's leadership. He has created a great team of people that make events like this happen. We had over 150 different attenders for the weekend and at least 20 first time guests! As a pastor I am especially thankful for huge team effort that went into making this weekend work. It was a great example of normal people working together to create something extraordinary!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I want all of you to know, especially my immediate family and church family, how much I love and appreciate you. It is the people in my life that bring meaning and purpose to all that I do. There seems to be so much going on at church right now. Our children's ministry did a wonderful job on Sunday singing four Christmas songs and memorizing the Christmas story from Luke chapter two. Cyanna del Rosario is a great children's ministry leader and is doing a wonderful job working with the kids of Morning Star. Tonight we have two Christmas Eve services, one at 5:00pm and one at 8:00pm. It has been exciting to hear from so many of you that you have family and friends coming. Our worship leader and worship team have spent lots of time preparing a wonderful evening for all of us to enjoy. Just about every day I thank God that I get to pastor such a great church and that I have so many friends here at Morning Star. My family wishes you a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Don't forget starting on January 6 we are starting an early service at 9:00am in additionl to our normally scheduled 10:35am service.

Giving Thanks

2007-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I forget how blessed I really am. God has been so good to me and my family. Tonight, I put my son, Ethan, to bed and since he is such a lite sleeper he woke up again about an hour later. So around 9pm I found myself holding and rocking him back to sleep. As I was enjoyed those moments of holding Ethan close, I started to thank God for my son and that reminded me of how God has healed his congenital heart defect. One thing led to another and the list of items to thank God for went on and on. So I thought I would make a list of some of the things I'm really thankful for:

God's grace in redeeming my life and providing forgiveness for my sin

My wonderful wife - she is exactly what I need (and want)

My kids - each one has taught me so much

My parents and extended family - our extended family loves us and each other

My church - I'm still amazed that people show up each Sunday to hear me preach

My friends - life truly is about relationships and sharing the journey with others

Our new home - we never imagined we would ever own a brand new home

Did I mention my wife yet :)

The Bible - it is still relevant and life changing and offers hope for everyone

Living in America - we live in the best place on earth

My health -

Dreams and visions - I'm really excited about the future. The opportunities and possibilities are limitless

Prayer - we get to talk to God. Enough said...

Cars that work

Food on the table

The list could go on and on, but I need to empty the garbage and put it out on the curb for pickup. O ya, one more thing: I'm thankful for Fridays since that's my day off of work.

Solitude and Meditation

2007-10-24T16:32:00.001-07:00

Today was spent at Catholic Retreat Center in Los Gatos. It was a simple, quiet place up a small hill in beautiful surroundings. This is my second year of attending a monthly prayer retreat called "Come Away" which is organized by a group called Eagle's Wings. The habit of reflection, solitude, prayer, and meditation do not come easy for me. In fact the first few times I attended these retreats last year, I was left frustrated because I wasn't able to" get anything done." But thankfully over time, God began to strip away the busyness and distractions from my mind to focus on Him. Today's retreat (my first since last April) was especially refreshing for me. I forgot how much I truly need to get away on a consistent basis to be alone with God. My first few hours were spent mentally chasing ideas and thoughts, but then slowly God began to calm my mind to experience His presence. In our busy, hectic schedules time alone is very difficult to find. But I have found that it is one of the truly transformation disciplines that I need.

Friends

2007-10-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

My Wednesdays are very busy. I met at 6:30am at Starbucks for discipleship with one of the men in the church. Then around 8:00am I got to 24hr fitness for my morning work out. After a couple of hours in the office, I had lunch with a high school buddy who is now attending our church. At 1:00pm I have discipleship with another man in our church. It is now about 2:30pm and most of the day is behind me. I haven't really gotten much office work done but there is no doubt in my mind that today will end up being the most productive day of my week. The reason is simple, I believe that God uses relationships more than any other thing to shape and mold us to become like Jesus Christ. My investment and interataction with these three men today is more beneficial to them and me than any amount of pastoral planning, visioning, and office work. Don't get me wrong there is always a need for deep Bible study, interaction with God through His Word and prayer, sermon preparation, and checking things off my to do list; But at the end of the day each of the things I just listed comes to life when they effect my interaction with other people. God has created us as relational beings. And as a followers of Christ, we need that interaction with each other to grow and thrive in our faith. One of the greatest joys of ministry is to be able to be in relationship with so many wonderful men that are helping me become more like Jesus Christ.

Thank God for my wife!

2007-09-26T11:53:00.001-07:00

It seems that just about every day I find myself in amazement of my wife Cecil. To me she is definitely a super woman. She somehow manages to find time to clean the house, prepare meals, work part time for our business, and invest lots of time in teaching our children. My kids are so well behaved and smart (obviously I'm a little bit biased), and all the credit goes to my wife. In fact she already has Alanna doing "school" out of a preschool work book. She is truly amazing and I love her for it!

It's All About Relationships

2007-09-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

This morning at the gym (I have been going quite regularly over the last month!), I had the opportunity to talk with an acquaintance that I rarely get to see. I was running late (about 2 hours late) and upset at myself for not making it to the gym earlier. After the conversation I realized that God has worked through my tiredness to arrange this meeting. The highlight of the conversation was the opportunity to share a principle that God has really impressed on me over the last few years. The principle is that God uses people to change people. As much as I believe my Sunday sermon, devotions, and other spiritual exercises are important, I truly believe that God uses fellow followers of Christ to shape me more than those other things. In Scripture there is an underlying assumption that every believer is apart of a family or body of believers that helps to encourage, correct, and teach them. I make this following statement with careful thought, "You cannot be in a healthy relationship with God unless you are in a healthy relationship with His body the church." One of the key components that is missing in modern day Christianity is the element of relational accountability. You cannot be a healthy Christian if you view worship services and church involvement as a spectator sport. So where ever you are, go get connected and experience God's movement in your life through others.